Former Vice President Jejomar Binay urged the government on Friday to also give face masks or face shields to the victims of Super Typhoon “Rolly.”
Binay, who had served as Makati mayor, said efforts must be taken to prevent the spread of COVID 19 in the facilities being used to temporarily shelter typhoon victims and in their communities.
“We must make sure that our countrymen who were affected by the typhoon are safe. The last thing we need is for the virus to infect our people who are already suffering from the damage caused by the super typhoon,” Binay said.
The face masks or face shields should be included among the relief items being distributed in the affected regions.
“It is important for national government agencies to ensure that our countrymen will get face masks or face shields and consciously promote its use,” Binay said.
He also said the local governments should not be expected to provide immediate aid to their residents because a sizable portion of their calamity funds were used to give relief and other assistance during the hard lockdown ordered by the government early this year. Some localities were also affected by Typhoon “Quinta” and their calamity funds had been severely depleted.
“Our local officials and those affected by the typhoons are relying on the national government,” Binay said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had placed the number of people affected by the super typhoon at more than two million. Some 138,209 individuals had sought refuge in the evacuation centers, mostly in Bicol, as of the last count.
The national government said it had so far provided more than P26 million in relief to the typhoon victims.